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UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES WV. DECKERT, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERI- CAN LEATHER AND MEMBRANOID COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

MEMBRANOID.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 487,067, dated November 29, 1892.

Application filed January 23, 1890. Serial No. 337,860. (Specimens.)

To all whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, JAMES W. DECKERT, of Newark, New Jersey, have invented a new and useful article of manufacture made from certain portions of the stomachs of animals and termed Membranoid, of which the following is a specification.

This invention possesses many of the useful qualities of leather, but has a surface of pero culiar configuration adapting it for use for ornamental purposes, such as paneling or bookbinding, or for manufacture into handbags, purses, slippers, and other useful articles. The portion of the animals stomach I5 thus utilized is the gelatinous inner lining or mucous membrane.

The first step in the production of membranoid is to suitably prepare this membrane for treatment by any of the well-known tanning 2o processes employed in the manufacture of leather. This is conveniently accomplished by trimming off the fleshy parts of the stomach and scraping o the fat and then cleansing the parts which are to be utilized by Washing them in clean waters, (at atmospheric temperature) in which they are agitated from time to time, usually for a-period of from four to ve hours. They are then removed from the cleansing bath and steeped 3o for, say, five hours in a weak lime-Water having a density of, say, 25o Baum, more orless. After steeping, a greater or less portion of the muscular tissue which originally formed part of the outer covering of the stomach is split off. By this mode of treatment, which is effective for the desired purpose, the mucous membrane and the portion of ibrinous coating which is left attached to it are cleansed and softened and brought into condition to 4c take up the tannin, which in the subsequent tanning treatment combines With the gelatine in the cells. The tanning of the mucous membrane of the stomach after it has been separated from the waste portions of the stomach, cleansed, and freed from mucus will usually occupy about seven days.1

Any of the Well-known tanning processes may be employed. Thus a white product may be produced by the employment of the so- 5o called alum process of tanning. If adarkcolored product is desired, the membranes are soaked in the usual tanning-vats with ground bark covered with bark liquor. They are thus soaked six or seven times, the duration of each soaking operation and the strength of the bark 5 5 liquor being gradually increased with each soaking. After the membrane has been removed from the last soaking-vat it is scrubbed with Water and dried in the usual manner, and When dry is slightly oiled on its fibrinous side7 6o by which it is rendered flexible preparatory to subjecting it to the ordinary final finishing process, which includes dyeing if the product is to be colored and polishing if it is desired that the finished surface shall be glassy. The resulting product, while it has many of the useful properties of and to some extent resembles leather, is nevertheless peculiar in its constitution and appearance, and hence the name membranoid has been selected as a 7o distinctive designation for it. The finished surface of the membranoid thus produced has three different styles of configuration, as symbolicallyindicated in the accompanying drawings. The sectionAexhibits a configuration formed of a system of iiattened intersecting membraneous ridges ranging from one to three sixteenths of an inch in Width, with systems of smaller and bead -like projections from those parts of the surface between the inter- 8o secting coarser ridges. The section B has a configuration giving it a coarse furry effect, due to the presence of coarse bristle-like projections ranging from one-eighth .to threeeighths of an inohin length. The sectionChas a rough granular appearance, due to the presence of shorter and coarser projections which, like the ridges and bristles already referred to, are usually iiattened down upon the surface in the course of the manufacture. 9o

lf desired, the membranoid exhibiting all three of the configurations may be used for hand-bags or for any other purpose, or the sections exhibiting the distinctive configurations may be cut apart and used separately.

While it is to be remarked that the mucous membrane of the stomachs of all animals may be made into membranoid, as'described, it is preferred to use for this `purpose the stomachs of the larger animals, especially those of the roc cattle Which are killed for foodand Which are' so large that'a single-'stomach will furnish a f membrane having an area of fifteen square feet, more or less. 5 What is claimed as the invention is As a new article of manufacture, the product herein designatedmembran'oid, the

same consisting of a leather-like iritegument'-v having ornamental configurations upon its 1o finished surface, due to the presence thereon.

` of ridge-like orrbristle-iike projections, substantially asldescribed.v

In testimony thatI claim the invention set forth above I have hereunto set my hand this 20th day of January, 1890.

JAM-ES W-.- DEOKERT-- Witnesses:

FREDK. C. FRAENTZEL,

WM. H. CAMFIELD. 

